Quiet, Shakespeare

Let the music do the talking

The works of Shakespeare have endured centuries of tinkering, tailoring and all-out Armageddon. His plays have been filtered through technology, pop-culture fads and sexual politics; reimagined as high school ego-tripping, murderous fast-food franchising and generic generational angst; his tricky soliloquies have leaped (or stumbled) from the tongues of matinee idols from Laurence Olivier to Keanu Reeves (see "stumbled") and still, still you say, "More." Every summer in Forest Park, the Shakespeare Festival draws droves of drama lovers who are mad for the flow of iambic pentameter. This year the Saint Louis Art Museum whets your appetite with Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On... , a Circle/Cinema 14 Silent Shakespeare performance. Six short films from the silent era, restored by the British Film Institute and including The Tempest, King Lear and Twelfth Night, will be shown at 7 p.m. in the museum's auditorium. And while the silent films lack the language of Shakespeare (they're, uh, silent), sonic interpretations will be provided by New Music Circle, that bold band of silence assassins who regularly produce live accompaniment for the series. Led by Jim Hegarty, the NMC ensemble offers this performance as a collaboration between theatrical and cinematic artists of the past and musicians of now and tomorrow. Tickets are $5 ($3 for NMC members); call 314-995-4963 for more info. -- Jedidiah Ayres

All your high school dreams come true! Shakespeare
without the words!

Beyond Short and Stout Teapots transformed

Tea has always had a shaky reputation in the United States. It was the wedge driven between the Colonies and the U.K. and has suffered ever since from its association with our former overlords. Tea is a little poncy and highfalutin, and the many accoutrements of teatime (tea cozies, scones and the dreaded tea bag) suffer the same disdain. But even an inveterate tea-loather will be dazzled by the array of teapots on display at the Craft Alliance (6640 Delmar Boulevard; 314-725-1177 or www.craftalliance.org). The humble teapot is reimagined as an object of functional beauty, taking on new and remarkable forms. View them all at the opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 28, or anytime before July 18, when the exhibit comes down. -- Paul Friswold

Blind Drunk Let your other senses guide you

FRI 5/28

If a story's on the See/Be Seen page, readers would probably assume the events included therein would involve looking at something, or at least being looked at. Well, contrary to that entire advanced concept, there'll be no peeking at the 6:30 p.m. Blind Tasting class at the Clayton Wine Merchant, Ltd. (20 South Hanley Road; 314-863-6282 or www.winemerchantltd.com). At this tricky tasting, participants will have to rely on only their senses of taste and smell as they learn about and attempt to identify a variety of wines. So just let the velvety, spicy, chocolatey, tanniny and/or fruity taste roll over your tongue, and swirl, swish and swill to your heart's content. But don't let those winos at the Merchant stump you; show them who's the fermented-fruit boss. Prove that you can identify Boone's Farm with no trouble at all! (Fine, so maybe Strawberry Hill won't be included, but a girl can dream, right?) Anyway, the class is only $25, but seating is limited and reservations are required, so commence drunk-dialing now! -- Alison Sieloff

Peace of Mind

MON 5/31

If you're looking for a Memorial Day activity with a message, this is it. The Soldiers of Peace Memorial Day at the City Museum (701 North 15th Street; 636-282-2221) has a unifying theme of "Inclusivity First," and the activities range from movies about Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. to moments of remembrance for all the soldiers (both in the military and in the peace movement) to Paneurythmia (that's the Dance of Peace) to live reggae music. The goal of this free 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. event is to raise everyone's consciousness. So get there, and get conscious. -- Paul Friswold